Members of the rejuvenated Bideford branch took to the streets on Saturday to ask the public what they would like to say to the Prime Minister about the cost-of-living crisis. Shoppers in Mill Street were invited to complete a postcard asking the Government take action on escalating fuel costs which the Lib Dems have calculated will cost Torridge households an extra £735 per year on average.
Your emails made a difference!What's next for the Elections Bill? Many thanks to you all for answering our call to write to cross-bench, unaffiliated and Tory peers in advance of the second hearing of the Elections Bill in the House of Lords last week.
The latest weekly Coronavirus snapshot for Bedford Borough has been published.
Responding to the news that Gavin Williamson will be given a knighthood, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: "The only award Gavin Williamson should be given is the one for worst Education Secretary in history.
Today we attended a vigil for Ukraine, organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain's Waltham Cross Branch. We thank the organisers and hope to do everything we can to help the people of Ukraine.
Up to thirty new cherry trees are to be planted in the Boulevard in Weston-super-Mare town centre this month. The planting will take place on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 March. Parking in the Boulevard will be limited while the work is in progress so motorists are advised to avoid parking there on those two days.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, called on the government to provide incentives for energy providers to develop solar power in the UK.
Mrs Hobhouse slammed the government for falling behind on meeting the UK’s renewable targets for solar energy capacity. The government plans to deploy 70 GW of solar power across the country by 2035. However, as of 2022, the UK had only installed 14.3 GW of solar pv.
Following a visit to a rooftop solar system installed by Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) at Beechen Cliff School last year, Wera Hobhouse is keen to encourage the development of similar solar projects across Bath. The solar system is predicted to significantly cut the school’s fuel costs and reduce their carbon emissions by 52 tonnes a year.
In the House of Commons on the 27th February, the Bath MP noted that the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world in renewable energy investment, she urged the government to offer incentives to energy providers to improve solar capacity.
However, Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero, ignored Hobhouse’s proposals, failing to describe the ways in which the government could incentivise solar energy. Instead, Bowie said that the government’s Solar Taskforce would publish recommendations for solar power and reiterated the government’s target to deploy 70 GW by 2035.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, commented:
“The Conservatives are falling dangerously behind on meeting our targets for renewable energy production. It is no good the government setting an ambitious 70 GW solar target if they are nowhere near reaching it.
“It is clear that they have no plan to get us back on track to reach Net Zero. Evidently, they are more than happy to dismiss perfectly good proposals like incentivising solar power. That is why I am so proud that Bath is home to many community energy projects like the solar system at Beechen Cliff School, so that we can lead the way in renewables.”
“It is not just our climate targets harmed by the Conservatives’ delay. Families in Bath and across the country are struggling to pay soaring energy bills which investment in renewables could curb. That is why we Liberal Democrats would build significantly more renewable energy, aiming to generate 80% of our electricity from renewables by 2030.”
Peter Capener, Managing Director of Bath & West Community Energy said:
“Our work with schools is really demonstrating the value of community energy in both addressing the climate crisis and reducing fuel bills. Rooftop solar installed last year has already saved local schools a combined total of £134,209 and has reduced carbon emissions by 224.3 tonnes, which is equivalent to 12,173 journeys from Bath to Edinburgh by train!”
